Chinese President Hu Jintao is due to meet his Nigerian counterpart, Olusegun Obasanjo, and to address the Nigerian National Assembly on Thursday. On Wednesday, China secured four oil drilling licences from Nigeria in a deal involving $4bn in investment. Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa's top oil exporter, has long been viewed by China as a partner. President Hu is on a week-long tour of Africa, his second in three years. He is due in Kenya later on Thursday. The deal signed on Wednesday is one of seven co-operation agreements signed by Nigeria and China during the president's visit. China will buy a controlling stake in Nigeria's 110,000 barrel-a-day Kaduna oil refinery and build a railway system and power stations. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk

Kenyan women's rights activists have condemned an MP who told parliament that women usually say "No" to sex, even if they mean "Yes". During a debate on a new sex crimes law, Paddy Ahenda said Kenya women were too shy to openly say "Yes" and warned the law could prevent marriage. Twelve of Kenya's 18 female MPs walked out in protest, saying Mr Ahenda and other MPs were "trivialising" rape. Many Kenyans are alarmed by a huge rise in the incidence of sexual abuse. "This is a nation that should be in shame because its leaders are laughing at offences committed against women and children," said Kenya National Commission on Human Rights official Catherine Mumma. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4950774.stm

The World Bank and the Chad government have reached an interim agreement in their dispute over oil revenue. The deal reached after talks in the US means the World Bank will temporarily resume lending to Chad, suspended over fears the oil money could be misused. Last month Chad's leader said he wanted to use oil revenues to pay for weapons to use against rebels. Two weeks ago, Chad repelled a rebel attack on the capital, N'Djamena and unrest continues near the Sudan border. The agreement also allows Chad access to a frozen bank account in London in which oil revenues are deposited. The account was blocked in January after the World Bank accused the Chadian government of reneging on a promise to set aside part of its oil revenues for long-term social development. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4950432.stm

A disciplinary hearing has begun in Cairo for two Egyptian judges who said recent elections were fraudulent. Clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators supporting the two senior appeals court judges. A heavy security presence has been out on the streets and security officers prevented people from gathering outside the Judges Syndicate. Dozens of judges have staged a sit-in at their association headquarters, since the hearing was announced. On Monday, a judge was injured and 15 demonstrators were arrested when police broke up a protest outside the building. Judges Hesham Bastawisi and Mahmoud Mekki, who are members of the Court of Cassation, are being disciplined after pressing for an inquiry into alleged fraud in the 2005 elections. Correspondents say the hearing is expected to result in the two judges losing their jobs....http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4950730.stm

Aspiring EU member Macedonia faced pressure on Thursday to explain its role in the alleged CIA abduction of a German man as a European Parliament team flew in for a three-day investigation mission. German Khaled el-Masri was detained in Macedonia on December 31, 2003. From there he says he was flown by the Central Intelligence Agency to Afghanistan and jailed for months as a terrorist suspect before being released and dumped without explanation in Albania.His case is among the best known examples of U.S. "extraordinary rendition" -- the practice of secretly transferring terrorist suspects to third countries where, human rights groups say, they may face abuse or torture.Masri's lawyer Manfred Gnjidic, in a telephone interview with Reuters, urged Macedonia to disclose whether or not it told German or European Union authorities it was holding Masri....http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060427/ts_nm/security_eu_cia_dc

Jurors in the trial of al-Qaeda plotter Zacarias Moussaoui have been sent home for the day after one fell ill. The jury has been out since Monday and must decide whether Moussaoui should be executed or jailed for life. The prosecution has called for the death sentence, arguing that "there is no place on this good Earth" for him. Defence lawyers say he should not be granted martyrdom through execution. Moussaoui is the only man prosecuted in the US over the 11 September attacks. Judge Leonie Brinkema will be bound to hand down the sentence the jury chooses. She will talk to the ill juror later on Thursday before deciding whether Friday's proceedings can go ahead. No deliberations were possible on Thursday. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4947094.stm